evangelism Archives - Page 7 of 9 - Plain Bible Teaching

Andy Sochor December 12, 2012

How to Reach Others with the Gospel

“And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned” (Mark 16:15-16).

The above passage is commonly referred to as the Great Commission. Though this commission was given exclusively to the apostles (there is no divine mandate for each Christian to “go into all the world” today), there certainly are principles that apply to us. God wants people to be saved and the gospel is the way to reach them. Therefore, we should be doing what we can to spread the gospel.

But how do we reach others with the gospel? There is more to be done in this regard than just standing up in the pulpit and preaching (though this is one of the ways which we will discuss). Not everyone can stand up in the pulpit and preach, but each one of us can do different things to help reach others with the gospel.

In this article, we will briefly notice some of the things that we can do as individuals to spread the gospel.
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Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: evangelism, example, gospel, invitation, personal evangelism, preaching

Andy Sochor November 28, 2012

“All Who Lived in Asia Heard the Word of the Lord” (11/28)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Acts 18:19-19:41.

Paul had a very productive time in Ephesus preaching the gospel. Even with opposition that forced him to leave the synagogue, he was able to reach far beyond just the city limits of Ephesus.

“And he entered the synagogue and continued speaking out boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God. But when some were becoming hardened and disobedient, speaking evil of the Way before the people, he withdrew from them and took away the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus. This took place for two years, so that all who lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks” (Acts 19:8-10).

How was Paul able to have such great success in spreading the gospel that “all who lived in Asia heard the word”? First, notice what was not involved in Paul’s work:
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Filed Under: SERIES: Daily Notes & Observations Tagged With: church, evangelism, preaching

Andy Sochor July 26, 2012

What to Call the Preacher

We hear people use different terms to identify those who preach – preacher, minister, pastor, etc. In this article we will address two things: what the Bible calls those who preach the gospel and what the religious world calls those who preach.

Why is this important? Names mean something. The terms that are used to identify those who preach are used for a reason. They help describe the work or the perceived work. It is good for us to call Bible things by Bible names and for those who preach to do the work they ought to be doing.

This list is not exhaustive, but it addresses some of the more common names used today.
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Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: evangelism, preaching

Andy Sochor January 18, 2012

He Appeared to Them to be Jesting (1/18)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Genesis 19-21.

The men who lived in Sodom were “wicked exceedingly and sinners against the Lord” (Genesis 13:13). So much so that the Lord determined to destroy the city. But first he sent two angels into the city to deliver the lone righteous man among them – Lot.

“Then the two men said to Lot, ‘Whom else have you here? A son-in-law, and your sons, and your daughters, and whomever you have in the city, bring them out of the place; for we are about to destroy this place, because their outcry has become so great before the Lord that the Lord has sent us to destroy it” (Genesis 19:12-13).

Lot was now aware of the coming destruction, which gave him the chance to escape. He also had time to convince others to come with him and be saved.
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Filed Under: SERIES: Daily Notes & Observations Tagged With: evangelism, judgment, righteousness

Andy Sochor December 8, 2011

Sounding Forth the Word

The local church is God’s “missionary society” – the organization through which we work to spread the gospel. Though man has concocted many different schemes and systems since the time when Jesus established His church, the Lord’s design is for His message to be proclaimed through the work of individuals and local churches. Paul mentioned the church in Thessalonica as an example of how this simple arrangement can be successful.

“For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith toward God has gone forth, so that we have no need to say anything” (1 Thessalonians 1:8).

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: assembly, church, evangelism, gospel, invitation, personal evangelism, preaching

Andy Sochor October 12, 2011

The Seed of the Sower

The parable of the sower is one of the more familiar parables spoken by Jesus. In it, He taught an important lesson about the type of message that is required in order to produce fruit.
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Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: evangelism, gospel, preaching, word of God

Andy Sochor June 4, 2011

Reporting Back to Antioch

Following the preaching trip that took them through such places as Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe, Paul and Barnabas returned to Antioch. Luke wrote, “When they had arrived and gathered the church together, they began to report all things that God had done with them and how He had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles” (Acts 14:27).

It is important to notice what happened here, particularly today as churches may support preachers who work in other locations. The church in Antioch “sent” Paul and Barnabas on this trip to preach the gospel in various places (Acts 13:3). That sending does not imply a command for them to go – that was given by the Holy Spirit (Acts 13:2, 4). Instead, the implication is that the church supported (financially) these men in their work.

When Paul and Barnabas returned to Antioch, they did not just meet with the elders of the church or with a few other individuals. The account of their work did not take place during a common meal or other casual setting. Rather, they “gathered the church together.” This shows us that it is perfectly acceptable for a congregation to invite a preacher to come and give a report on the work that they helped to support. More than this, we can be reminded of the benefits of such reports.
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Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: assembly, church, evangelism, preaching, support